Subaru has an announcement for you:
“Subaru of America, Inc. today announced a sharper and more focused BRZ will debut at Subiefest California on July 23.”
That’s it. That’s the entirety of a press release sent to journalists this week.
It was, helpfully, accompanied by a photograph that explained everything. It showed a closeup of a BRZ’s headlight.
With so little to go on, it’s hard to speculate on what is planned for next week. But we haven’t let that stop us before.
We’ll grasp the thinnest of threads to note that the BRZ logo on the headlight in the photo seems to be the same shade of red Subaru historically used for its high-performance STI models.
There are no current STI products. Even the beloved WRX STI is dead at the moment, though few would believe the moniker is gone forever.
Subaru has never built a BRZ STI, and we’d be surprised to see it bring one out while the WRX lacks an STI model. But the company has, in the past, built a limited-edition model called the BRZ tS with a “tuned by STI” badge. Limited to a production run of just 500 models, it included upgrades like Michelin Pilot Sport track tires, Brembo brakes, bracing for a stiffer chassis, and enhanced suspension damping for tighter handling. It did not have more power than a standard BRZ.
We could believe it, or something like it is returning. We’ll tell you when it debuts in less than a week.
